Perfect Balance
by iBloo
Summary: Sequel to "It's a Promise." The subtle ways that a twenty-year-old Boruto takes care of Sarada manifests how much he's matured.


Hello! This is a sequel to "It's a Promise." The story is in my profile. However, you do not need to read 'It's a Promise' to understand this story.

I don't own Naruto.

* * *

After his morning ANBU training, Boruto would usually pass by the Uchiha district to pick up Sarada so they could go to the hokage tower together. However, today he was only greeted by the worried Uchiha matriarch.

"Good morning, Boruto," Sakura greeted him, as she let him into the house. "Sarada hasn't come home since yesterday."

This wasn't exactly new news to Boruto. Sarada had been increasingly busy as the hokage's apprentice, and the only prospect for becoming the Hachidaime.

Sakura came out of the kitchen, holding a bento box covered in a red cloth bearing the Uchiha insignia. "Can you please give this to her and make sure she eats it for lunch?"

Like his father, he always had a soft spot for Sakura. She was always so nice to him, and always willingly healed his scrapes and wounds before he had to go home so he wouldn't worry his mother. Her being easy on the eyes was also an added bonus.

"No problem," he grinned. Sakura handed him the bento. "I'll also tell that old man to stop overworking her!"

Sakura thanked him and as she watched Boruto exit her home.

* * *

Hopping on top of the rooftops, with the wind sweeping his cape behind him, Boruto carefully held on the bento his auntie Sakura gave him. Nearing his destination, the blond landed on a roof near the hokage tower. The center office was where his father would be, but that wasn't why he came. Instead, he jumped on the tree outside the small room on the right side of the Hokage's office.

Boruto looked inside the window and spotted his dark haired teammate, sleeping under a pile of papers. He snickered. _Typical Sarada_. She was starting to become more and more like the Nanadaime _,_ even picking up some of his working habits _._ He opened the window and soundlessly jumped inside. The blond placed the bento on her desk, and watched for a few moments.

Sarada's arms were folded under her face, acting as pillow. Her glasses were haphazardly deposited next to her on the desk, and her long raven locks were a mess. She was snoring lightly, too.

Boruto smirked. He removed his cape and placed it over her shoulders to keep her warm. He picked up the papers around her desk and scanned its contents. It was all about the Kage Summit happening in Sand next week. There were schedules, talking points, names, photos, issues to be discussed, and blah blah blah. It was all the boring stuff to Boruto. All the boring stuff that this Uchiha had always wanted to do, everything he promised he would support her with.

It's been nine years. Nine years since she'd been Naruto's apprentice, as he was Sasuke's. It's also been nine years since he made her that promise.

Boruto placed the papers down and leaned on the desk, facing Sarada. He looked at her fondly, but his gaze eventually fell to the neatly wrapped bento the Uchiha matriarch created for her workaholic daughter.

"Maybe a bit longer," Boruto said to himself. He leaned off the desk, and quietly sorted out the papers on Sarada's desk while he waited for her to wake up.

Sarada felt herself sweat all over, and her cheek stick to the back of her hand. Her head was pounding, and her back ached from the uncomfortable position. She tried to stretch, and felt something warm covering her shoulders, however she didn't mind it too much since her vision was blurry—both from lack of sleep, and because she wasn't wearing her glasses. She groped around her desk and stumbled on her specs. She placed them on. Her dark eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room. _Was it morning already?_ The Uchiha shot up, causing her head to rush. She couldn't sleep! She still had work to do!

The sight of her clean desk shocked her. She also noticed a bento, and a cold bottle of water sitting at the edge of her desk.

"You're finally awake!" A voice that was dangerously close to her face, said.

"Waaah!" Sarada exclaimed in shock, and shifted in her seat away from the voice. Upon seeing who it was, she hastily recovered and pushed his face away with her palm. "Don't go scaring me like that, Boruto!"

The blond laughed. He always found it amusing how he could surprise her after she woke from a nap.

Sarada smoothed her hair down. She turned her face away from him to hide her lightly flushed cheeks. "How long have you been there? You're such a creeper."

"Long enough to memorize your snoring pattern," he flashed her a mischievous grin.

Her blush intensified. "I don't snore," she denied.

"Yeah, yeah." He moved to sit on her desk and shifted to face his teammate. "Whatever. We've been on the same team for nearly a decade. Don't you think I memorize your sleeping habits by now?" He loved to push the Uchiha's buttons. Boruto always found her reactions priceless.

Sarada scowled. "Are you done poking fun at me yet, or do you need something, Boruto?"

He flashed her a blinding grin, one that he inherited from his father. "You have to eat this before I can go." He pushed the bento and bottled water towards her. "Auntie Sakura's worried you didn't come home again."

She let out a tired sigh. "I called her and told her I'll be working late."

"Tch," Boruto rolled his eyes. "There's a difference with working late and not coming home." He took a brown paper bag and pulled out a burger.

"Whatever," Sarada dismissed. "And how about you? Staying out for days doing ANBU work."

Boruto flailed his arms, "I told you, it's just training!" The indignation and annoyance was clear in his voice. "I don't go out on missions. I'm keeping my promise. I'm still part of team 7!"

The two of them went on, bickering and arguing as they ate their lunch. Their rivalry did not just show out on the field, but it also had a habit of poking its way to their little conversations and interactions. The two of them were so engrossed in their conversation that they failed to notice someone had opened the door, and silently closed it again.

Naruto caught a bit of their conversation before he decided to leave the two alone.

" _Boruto, I told you!" Sarada sounded annoyed, but there was no real malice in her tone. "It's important I get all of this done. The whole village is counting on me to be represented properly!"_

 _Boruto scowled. "The village can wait a few hours. You need to eat, sleep properly, and have some fun too!"_

Naruto walked down the hall, with a small smile of fondness on his face. He was proud of Sarada. She had a strong sense of duty, and she truly cared about the village. Her only pitfall was that she didn't know when to quit, and often would neglect her own needs. Naruto smirked at the thought. Her stubbornness did not only come from Sasuke, but Naruto surely had something to do with reinforcing it, too.

Looking back at what Boruto said, Naruto fondly noted that he had a kind heart. Duty was important, but taking care of another persons' wellbeing always came first. Boruto finally came to understand how important it was to take care of his comrades, and overlook his selfishness.

 _They would make a good tag-team_ , thought the hokage.

After all, they balanced each other out perfectly.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked this story!

I thought it would be cute if Boruto had a slight crush on Sakura. Haha.

What was your favorite part? Let me know what you think by leaving me a review!


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